Biden arrives in Belfast for three-day visit to Northern Ireland and Ireland

APD NEWS

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U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Belfast on Tuesday night and was greeted at the airport by United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

His delegation includes a scion of the Irish-American Kennedy clan, Joe Kennedy III, Biden's new special envoy for economic affairs in Northern Ireland.

Biden will spend just over half a day in the British-run region before traveling to the Republic of Ireland for almost three days of meetings with officials and distant relatives.

Biden and Sunak will hold a meeting early on Wednesday, and Biden will also engage with each of the leaders of Northern Ireland's five main political parties ahead of his speech at a Belfast university.

Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Biden said supporting the recent Windsor Framework deal agreed by the European Union and Britain to ease post-Brexit trade barriers in Northern Ireland was one of his top priorities.

Asked as he prepared to leave Washington about his priorities for the trip, Biden said, "Make sure the Irish accords and the Windsor agreement stay in place. Keep the peace. That's the main thing."

(CGTN)